Suit-case box.



G. L. MORRISON & A. A. PORDON.

SUIT CASE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11, 1912.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

[N VEN T 0R5 WITNESSES G. L. MORRISON &'A. A. FORDON.

SUIT CASE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1912.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES G. L. MORRISON & A. A. 'FORDON.

SUIT CASE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.11, 1912.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES INVENTOR 'UNH ear are,

FTC.

GEORGE L. MORRISON, OF HUDSON, AND ALEXANDER .A. FORDON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SUIT-CASE BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Dec. 3, 1912.

Application filed March 11, 1912. Serial No. 682,857.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, GEORGE L. MORRISON and ALEXANDER A. FoRDoN, citizens of the United States, residing at Hudson, in the county of Lenawee, andDetroit, in the county of lVayne, respectively, both in the State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Suit-Case Boxes, of which the following is a Specification.

This invention relates to boxes made of pasteboard or other foldable material suitable to the purpose, and adapted to be used for carrying in neatly arranged manner suits of clothes and other garments; and it consists in the peculiar and advantageous arrangement hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification: Figure 1 is a perspective showing our novel box as closed and ready to be conveniently carried in the hand. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal-central section of the closed box. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of' the closed box. Fig. 4: is a plan of the blank of past-eboard or other suitable material'of which the major portion of the box is formed. Fig. 5 is a view in plan illustrating the manner in which the complete box can be collapsed so as to take up but little room in storage or shipment.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The major portion of the novel box is formed of a single piece of pasteboard or other appropriate foldable material; the blank of material being shown in Fig. 4 with the elements numbered correspondingly to the other figures of the drawings. The said major portion comprises rectangular side walls 1, and -a bottom 2 iinterposed between adjacent longitudinal edges of the side walls. The said bottom 2 is longitudinally creased, as indicated by 3, to enable the bottom to flex upwardly when the box is open and the side walls 1 are rested on a table or other support. The crease 3 extends to points adjacent the ends of the bottom 2, and'between the ends of the crease and the ends of the bottom longitudinal cuts 4 are provided to permit of the box being fully opened z'. 6., opened to such an extent that the side walls 1 rest in the same horizontal plane. This will be better understood by reference to Fig. 5 wherein the edges or Walls of the said cuts 4: are shown as diverging out-ward or toward the ends of the box. From this it follows that the cuts et constitute an important feature of applicants invention, since otherwise the box could not be opened to such an extent that the walls 1 lie in the same horizontal plane, and the flattened box could not be arranged as shown in Fig. 5 so as to take up but little space in storage or shipment and yet be capable of being opened and set up ready for use without entailing any change in the structure and wit-h no effort other than is required for the opening and setting up of the flattened device so as to shape the same into box form. On the outer longitudinal edge of one side wall 1 is a top wall 5, equipped with a swinging handle 6, and on the other sidewall 1 along the outer longitudinal edge thereof. is provided a top wall 7 in which is formed a slot 8 and a thumbrecess 9. When the box is closed, the slot 8 in the wall 7 which rests outside the wall 5, receives the handle 6, and also receives the bearings 10 in which said handle is pivoted. In this way the box is secured in a closed state, and at the same time the handle 6 affords means through which the box can box, since when this latter is being done the handle 6 will withdraw from the slot 8 in the wall 7. At this point we desire it distinctly understood that while we prefer to employ the handle and its bearings in combination with the slotted top wall 7 to secure the box in its closed state, we do not limit ourselves to the said handle and its bearings and the slot to receive the same. In other words any approved means may be employed for securing the box in a closed state without involving departure from our claimed invention.

At the ends of one side wall 1 are provided inwardly bent rectangular end walls 11. These end walls 11 are reinforced by end portions 12 bent inward from the ends of the top wall 5, and are also reinforced by narrower end portions 13 bent inward from the ends of the adjacent longitudinal portion of the bottom 2; the end portions or flaps 13 being interposed between the end portions or flaps l2 and the end walls 11, as shown. The end walls 11 and the flaps 12 are strongly connected by through and through fasteners 14, and the'end portions 11, and the flaps 13 are strongly connected by through and through fasteners 15. The said relative arrangement of the end walls 11, and the flaps 12 and 13, and the connections of the said end walls to the flaps renders the ends of the box adjacent the mentioned side wall 1 stiff and strong, and in that way contributes to the strength and durability of the box as a whole. When the box is closed the side wall 1 carrying the top Wall 5 and the end walls 11 is designed to take into the top wall 7 and the end walls 11 of the other side wall 1. For this reason the end walls 11 will be arranged within the end flaps 12 and 13 by which said end walls 11 are stiffened and strengthened. The end walls 11 and the end flaps 12 are connected together by through and through fasteners 16, and the end flaps 12 the end flaps 13 and the end walls 11', are connected together by through and through fasteners 17, while the end flaps '13 alone are connected to the end walls 11 by through and through fasteners 18. By virtue of the end flaps 12 and 13 being arranged inside the end walls 11, and the end flaps 12 and 13 being arranged outside the end walls 11, it will be observed that the end walls 11 are rendered smooth at their outer sides, while the end walls 11 are ren dered smooth at their inner sides, and hence without interference the end walls 11 can be moved expeditiously and easily to positions at the inner sides of the end Walls 11 and as readily withdrawn from such positions.

When our novelv box is spread open, clothes may be conveniently and neatly packed in the box, and when the box is closed the clothes will be confined in such manner that they will be protected from injury, and dust and dirt will be effectually excluded from the clothes.

By reference to Fig. 5, it will be manifest that the box incomplete state is capable of being spread out flat, the end walls and portions of the bottom wall together with portions of the top walls being folded in flat upon the side walls and the major portion of the bottom wall, as well as upon the major portions of the top walls. The infolded parts of the bottom wall are numbered 21, while the infolded parts of the side walls are numbered 22, as will appear by comparison of Figs. 4 and 5.

Having described our invention, What we claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

A collapsed or flattened box comprising a major portion formed of a single piece of pliable material and including a bottom wall creased along its longitudinal center and having longitudinal cuts at the ends of said crease and end portions 21. at opposite sides of said longitudinal cuts, folded in upon the bottom wall, side walls arranged at opposite sides of the bottom wall. top walls having inwardly folded end portions 22, end walls folded inward upon portions of the side walls: each of the said end walls including lapped members. and the end walls complementarfv to one'side wall being adapted when the box is opened and set up to receive between them the end wallscomplementary to the other side wall, and means permanently connecting the lapped members of the end Walls.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE l MORRISON. ALEXANDER A. FORDON.

rVitnesses C. G. VVHITNEY, C. G. HAINES. 

